I got our car washed last night. I know, I know… this is maybe not a very exciting thing to share with the blog-o-sphere. I just thought the sign was pretty sweet as I was sitting there waiting for my turn. It’s Mr. Wash, just sitting there in his undersized vehicle like a character from MarioKart or something. I’m-a Wario, I’m-a-gonna win!
did art ever die?
So how funny is this sign? It definitely has a little bit of a ransom-note feel to it, with the mixing of all the various sized letters and spacing. Maybe it’s just me… but I think I’d rather have the occasional recyclable(s) in my driveway than having to look at the words on this sign every day. NO DUMPING. I mean, isn’t this information already implied by the rules of being a good human being and refraining from putting junk in your neighbors driveway??? They should have at least implied some sort of fine or penalty for breaking these rules, like “Our dog will bite your leg if you dump boxes here.”
The people who leave trash in random places are the kind of people who don’t obey signs anyways. These same people who have been leaving mattresses in our alleyway — 3 including a set of bed springs in the last two weeks — and I’m pretty sure that a “no mattresses” sign wouldn’t have changed anything, besides clogging the visual landscape with another sign.
Now if you’ll excuse me while I go listen to some Tesla.
Well finally, this guy has got somewhere to go. A path to follow! Isn’t that all we want in life sometimes? I just hope he chooses to fork left, because it looks like he just might meet someone. If he heads right though, a dense forest ahead.
Living in the city, you see a lot of “things that make you go… hmmm” (yes, in a C+C Music Factory sort of way) but this busted old sign at 14th and S NW, by Garden District, for “The Bureau of Misdirected Destiny” was one that really made me wonder. Thank goodness for Herb of DC for clearing it up — with lots of pictures of the original piece. According to his blog, this was formerly a work of art by Matthew McGuinness and Eliza Newman Saul as part of SiteProjects DC. A quick google search for this organization leads nowhere, so I can only assume it is now defunct and a shadow of its former self, just like this installation. Still, maybe it’s even more provocative in its current state?
No no parking! and there is even a spot where someone can sit and enforce the rules. Or, perhaps just a good perch to sit and have a cup of coffee, breakfast, and read Date Lab on a Sunday morning.
There have been several local news pieces lately about the prospect of two 40-foot electronic signs that are slated to go in at 7th and G St. in the heart of Chinatown. I’m certainly not the first to comment on this topic, but each time I read more about it, I just get more and more laughs. WTOP even asks, Is DC getting its own Times Square?” oh the horror ! Please, people. We’re talking about more signage in Chinatown, not Georgetown. It’s ridiculous for residents to complain about this… did they not have their eyes open when they moved in and signed their leases? We’re talking about the touristy entertainment district of The District. Anyone who was wanting less than LCD screens and neon lights galore should have opted to live in… well… ANY other neighborhood in DC. There is even a ridiculous Stop the Billboard campaign, which opens with these words: “…unless we stop them, these huge, moving-picture billboards will make cherished parts of our beautiful city look more like Times Square.” Chinatown is a “cherished” part of our city??? Did they forget what it was like there 15 years ago? The National Mall is cherished, Rock Creek Park is cherished, and there are 50 other areas I would call cherished before I would think of Chinatown… which, by the way, I think it could stand to be more like Times Square.
Fantastic signage for Smokey’s Barbershop and Oldies on H Street. Full sign from inked78 on Flickr, and a much better framing of the thing by Muckraker.
I wonder if a Smokey’s haircut is any good?
For my 3d lighting and texturing class, I’ve been assigned to create a realistic alleyway scene, so I’ve been shooting sample textures in and around the city lately. (Yes, this is truly a strange twist of irony, and great pleasure for me, while Matt is busy studying urban planning law cases.) Anyways, I’ve come across some true gems, like this hand-written warning. It’s complete with the consequences you will have faced (in past-tense no less), as well as a handy diagram of what it might look like, visually. Although, upon closer inspection there is either no gravity in this scenario, or the tow truck is actually dangling your car off the side of a cliff, about to drop it into an abyss. They must mean bidness.
Call me an nerd, but I just love HALF addresses. Especially this one, because it appears to just be “HALF.” No other numbers or extraneous letters. I wonder if the fire department has more trouble finding these fractional locations. I’ve seen them frequently labeled as such (for example, 641 1/2) but never as decimals 641.5. What gives?